Quality management system
Quality management system
The UOL quality management system
The UOL pursues a dialogue-oriented and participatory approach with its quality management. The quality management system (QMS) is the result of a university-wide dialogue process (since 2019). During implementation, stakeholders at various levels continue to be broadly involved and all participants in the quality processes meet on an equal footing.
Quality management processes are established both at the various structural levels of a degree programme and at the various levels of responsibility at the university for the regular review of degree programmes as part of quality management, which are interlinked via defined quality cycles and provide a reliable framework for quality assurance and development through regular repetition cycles (see graphic).
The UOL quality cycles consist of various elements, each of which comes into play at different intervals: e.g. annual degree programme conference and report in the StuKo and, after eight years, the university's own accreditation. The content of the elements is based on the Lower Saxony Study Accreditation Ordinance (Nds. StudAkkVO) and the mission statement for teaching, as well as its concretisation at School level. All elements are documented in a standardised form (report sheet, master data sheet, preliminary or final statement). Students are involved in all QM elements and may be joined by other stakeholders, e.g. the Equal Opportunities Officer.
Individual process steps are event-related (events have been systematised), others are repeated at regular intervals regardless of the event:
Annual quality cycle
The annual quality cycle starts with the degree programme conference, which comprises one or more degree programmes in a cluster. The connection to the committee structure and thus to the regular decision-making processes of the School is ensured in particular by the report in the Study Commission (StuKo). Further discussion formats can be initiated or committees can be involved from the StuKo or the degree programme conference if appropriate topics are identified. Module conferences can be convened or questions and overarching topics can be passed on to the quality circle.
Quality cycle with planning meeting (in year 5)
The quality cycle with planning meeting (in year 5) is also aimed at a degree programme or a subject cluster. The planning meeting takes place three years before accreditation in order to identify developments and major changes required in the degree programme/cluster in good time before accreditation, and to plan and implement adjustments. The formal criteria of the Nds. StudAkkVO are also checked here.
Quality cycle with accreditation or reaccreditation (in year 8)
The quality cycle with accreditation or reaccreditation (in year 8) represents the final quality assessment. In this element of the quality cycle, a (further) formal and subject-specific assessment in accordance with the Nds. StudAkkVO, including consultation by external academics, students and representatives of professional practice, is planned. The accreditation decision with the award of the seal is made by the Presidential Board after consultation and preparation of a decision recommendation (including recommendations and conditions, if applicable) by the accreditation committee. The person responsible for the degree programme can lodge an appeal against the Presidential Board's decision via the Dean's Office. In this case, the Presidential Board will first discuss the matter further. If the objection persists, an arbitration committee will be formed. If the degree programme was accredited with conditions, a review is carried out after 12 months. If a degree programme does not fulfil the conditions imposed, its accreditation is withdrawn. In the following year, the recommendations and any conditions are discussed in the annual quality cycle.
New degree programmes undergo a concept accreditation and hold their first degree programme conference in the following year as a start to the QMS.
In addition to the programme-related elements, the quality cycle also includes a regular development meeting at School level, which focuses on overarching strategic developments. The results of the development discussions are fed back to the study commission and can in turn be incorporated into the degree programmes. Overarching topics that are systematically collected from various sources (e.g. study commissions, complaint management, feedback from external consultants, university-wide development projects in teaching) can be introduced by the members of the Study and Teaching Quality Circle for cross-faculty and university-wide discussion.